Click here for full transcript.
Q The second question -- again, going back to the fight between
Democrats and Republicans over the Miguel Estrada nomination. It seems
to be an absolute deadlock. Democrats seem to have the vote, but keep
filibustering. Republicans don't have the votes for cloture. But they
do have the votes in after it gets to the floor. Is this going to be an
unending or is the President going to --

MR. FLEISCHER: Clearly, the President hopes not. I think it would
be a very sad day for the Senate if this tactic of filibustering became
the tactic of how circuit court nominees are considered, particularly
given the fact that Senator Leahy, himself, more than three years ago
said, it is wrong and should not be done to filibuster a circuit court
nominee. And now he, himself, is one of the leaders of a filibuster,
despite the very fact that he, himself, said this is not the way
judicial candidates should be treated. That's what he said.

So the President hopes that reason will prevail, that after the
initial flurry, people will recognize the great danger they may do to
the judiciary by adopting this radical tactic. And it has never been
successfully done. And there is a judicial emergency that continues to
exist. There are not sufficient judges in place in the court systems.
People are waiting too long for justice to be done. The filibuster only
makes people wait longer.

Q But the President wouldn't budge on this issue, he will stand
firm on it?